More-than-Friends
by DancesWithSeatbelts
Summary: Spoiler alert! Please be caught up to ch 443 of the manga or this story will spoil it for you. Natsu asks Lucy to utilize Aquarius to attack their fleeing enemy. He's horrified when she breaks down crying. Natsu chases after her - can he soothe her hurt? Now with implied lemon. This is for my patiently waiting guest reviewer. Let me know what you think, please
1. Not Only a Team

**_A/N: So this happened after I chatted with obsessedwithnalu, just throwing some crazy ideas about, deciding what I'd like to happen in the manga. A quick just for shits'n'giggles idea. So again, there's spoilers in here if you're not caught up on the latest manga chapter. And some things that didn't happen ~this is my fevered imagination forcing the action. lol_**

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Lady Brandish gazed dispassionately at the Fairy Tail mages. Using her immense power, she caused the island to shrink. Islanders and tourists alike dropped into the ocean; some screaming in panic and all frantic to find their companions.

Natsu was worried for Lucy, so much so he shouted her name and swam over to where he thought she'd be. "Are you okay Lucy?" Natsu floated next to his partner.

Erza slapped the water, "everyone, we need to gather together and swim for one of the fishing boats."

Lucy spat water and wiped her face. "Where's Happy, Wendy and Charle?" More concerned for her guild mates, she ignored Natsu's question. "How could that woman do such a thing to a whole island?"

"We'll have time later to discuss that." Erza pointed up, "there they are."

Happy flew sobbing into Natsu's arms. He shuddered, gabbling nonsense and then held out his arms to Lucy. She gathered him up and patted his back. Erza and Gray commandeered a rowboat and began ferrying people to the scattered fishing boats. Eventually, all the guild mates reunited on the largest of the Caracole Island fishing boats.

Wendy had used a fair portion of her magic to treat Mest, and was only able to give Natsu a partial casting of Troia. Lucy and Erza sat near the bow, huddled under a single blanket. Mest laid unresponsive near their feet and Wendy and Charle kept watch on him. Happy tried to act nonchalant, but he shivered whenever he thought himself unobserved. The island of star mangoes was gone and it's people were homeless.

Gray was arguing with Natsu, trying to talk sense into the fire mage. "For the last time, we have to regroup and we cannot just storm into the Alvarez Empire and demand they release Makarov!"

"We don't need to ask! We'll take him and leave!" Natsu frowned at Gray. "You losing your nerve?"

"I've had enough of your stupidity." He turned with a curl to his lip, "Lucy! Talk some sense into flame brain."

"Lucy, we need to go after Lady Brandish right now! Use that mermaid lady you have and she won't even make it back to Alvarez." Natsu grinned, sure that he'd come up with a perfect plan.

Lucy's face drained of colour, her mouth dropped open, but no words escaped. She looked down at her hands and watched them tremble. She reached for her pouch of keys and then stopped her hand with a jerk. Lucy could feel the ache in her heart growing, her words were under so much pressure she could not speak.

Natsu scrambled up on his feet, still buoyed by Wendy's anti-nausea spell. "I know she might wreck this boat too, but it's a chance we have to take!"

The slayer knew as soon as Lucy eyes flooded with tears he'd said something wrong, but he had no idea exactly what he'd done. He gave her one of his most earnest smiles and stretched to touch her arm - but she shrugged off his touch and ran below decks. He only started running as he realized that his partner was crying, the kind of deep sobs that made your ribs sore even only after a few minutes.

Natsu didn't have to search too hard, his dragon hearing and olfactory senses were sufficient to find one crying blonde. He knocked on the door of the cabin Lucy was taking refuge in, waiting for her to bid him enter. Slowly he pushed the door open and shut it behind him.

"What's wrong?" He was puzzled. Lucy shouldn't be crying, Lucy was strong - she should be helping to plan their next move to rescue Makarov. Lucy surely knew what would be the best method of infiltration. Or knew who to ask, like the old dude spirit with the massive moustache. With no other thought in his head, Natsu strode over and gripped Lucy's upper arms and repeated himself. "What's wrong?"

Letting out deep shuddery breaths, Lucy tried to compose her thoughts. After gathering most of the guild together, _now_ is the time Natsu unwittingly opens a scar Lucy fears will never heal. Misery pools in her eyes, she can't speak, or the walls she's spent so much painstaking time building will collapse. Lucy takes a step back, still mute. She can't break free of his grip, but she can hug herself, trying to calm herself. Blankly, she stares into his eyes.

He searches her eyes, desperate to understand why she's so upset. The boat makes a sudden yaw and Natsu stumbles, falling. They land on a bunk, limbs tangled. He blushes, realizing he's draped on top of Lucy, from head to toes - touching in a manner he's only ever dreamed of. His need to comfort Lucy in any manner he can guides him.

Lucy is still trapped deep in her own grief; dwelling on her sacrifice of Aquarius. She's been beating herself up over this - because Igneel DIED, and Aquarius is ALIVE, just eternally free of her contract . Logically she knows you can't compare losses, but the guilt is real and Lucy feels it at odd moments of the day, every day. Ever since the day Natsu left to train, she's felt that he abandoned her. She's still dealing with anger and depression.

Natsu can't just ask, 'What's wrong', no! He can't erase the year of anguish and sorrow so casually. No! He can't wipe the slate so clean with a dirty dishrag like that. Lucy _has_ to make her struggle worth something - or her hurts and pain are as nothing.

She can't admit she needs Natsu. Telling him about Aquarius' loss means opening herself up to hurt again. That would mean she hadn't learned her lesson. If she can evade his concern, it means she's gotten better. No need to confide when she can conceal and deal with her losses by herself - just like when Natsu left to train. Lucy was on her own, and didn't need a partner. No! She's a self-contained adult - no need to lean on anyone but herself.

All these ideas jumble in her brain as she's pinned to a bed, under the warm body of her best friend. He's still her best friend, she's only questioning if she's _his_ in return. She doesn't even try to struggle, because she's done - so done. Her warm brown eyes are now dull and she speaks. "What's wrong? Nothing."

"I know there's something wrong." Natsu is horrified at himself. Lucy is not acting like Lucy, but he can't make himself move. Pinning her is making a small corner of his soul roar in triumph. He's had the notion off and on he's wanted more from his partner, but the easy friendship was always so safe and satisfying.

The year away had served to hone his appreciation for Lucy in all manner of ways. Her smile, so bright and welcoming. Her strength, amazing. Her laughter, enticing. Her eyes, fathomless and warm - and right now, something had killed her spark.

"Talk to me!" Natsu realizes he's begging, something he's never done - but he can't fix the breach between them with nothing less than his all. Lucy is laying on her back, so quiet Natsu feels like she's a stranger. Putting his face ever closer to hers, Natsu pleads. "Please! I need you to talk to me!"

"There isn't much to say," Lucy's voice is dry and soulless. "Igneel is dead. Fairy Tail couldn't save everyone and we're all children wandering in the dark." She feels no achievement for wounding her partner.

Natsu's face crumples, thoughts of his foster father are vivid. A montage of childhood memories culminating in a recap of Igneel's death and his 'last lesson' assail him. Live and grow, be proud.

Lucy strokes his face to comfort Natsu. She's still very upset. Even though she calls herself weak and a fool, she can't bear to see her partner torn up and raw. She reaches up to kiss his forehead and Natsu turns at the last second and their lips collide. She was wrong, she can't comfort him, not when his warm lips and tongue are causing a riot inside of her heart. Abandoning her worries, Lucy decides to revel in the physical sensations.

Natsu's heat is welcome, bringing a blissful smile to the blonde mage. She stretches and arches to press against his sleek toned flesh even more. The tiny bikini she's wearing and his swim trunks are hardly an impediment to feel how excited his body has gotten. Lucy wonders, is her smile for the innocent joy in Natsu's companionship - or is it the new carnal knowledge? She's never kissed anyone like this - no, this is her first kiss and now the second and third as Natsu feverishly deepens his exploration of her mouth. The hard ridge of his arousal is pressing between them and she moans her appreciation.

Natsu wants to push as far as Lucy will let him. His feelings for his partner have been set free and he wants to understand in the simplest way he can. If Lucy enjoys his touches half as much as he does, then she _must_ feel the same way about him as he's come to realize he feels about her.

The rough hammering at the door makes curses spill from both of their mouths. Natsu shudders as Lucy disentangles her silken legs from his, one last bump against his groin causing him to hiss.

"Gimme a minute!" Natsu was surprised his voice was working. Ignoring the possibility the cabin door could open, he fastened all his considerable attention on Lucy. "You're not gonna push me away ever again. We're not only a team, we're best friends and... I think, more-than-friends."

Lucy nodded. The knocking on the door started up again and this time Lucy yelled for the bastard responsible to piss off. Natsu grinned and began to laugh, Lucy joining in.

He hugged her close and Lucy wrapped her arms tight about his neck. "Let's work ourselves back together," she said.

His heart relaxed, this was the beginning of their healing. "We can get together right now if you want - I'm all fired up!"


	2. Focus on Us

_**A/N: Well, when I wrote the first part to this, I had truly intended this to stand alone as a one shot. (I'd marked it as complete) And then I felt a little bit of remorse for the poor soul who'd left a guest review, stating they were patiently waiting for more.**_ _ **Here's some more ~ Natsu and Lucy exploring sensual pleasures.**_ _ **There's a bit of shenanigans that are kinda tame, and then when you get to some line breaks, avert thine eyes if thou art too young.**_

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"This isn't the time or place!" Lucy smiled to take the bite out of her words. "We're in the middle of a fight for our lives, Master is still unaccounted for and we're on a boat!"

Natsu's face went green. Lucy scrambled to stand up. "Oh, I shouldn't have reminded you." Filled with immediate regret she offered him water.

Natsu croaked, "help me up." With Lucy's assistance, he staggered across the cabin and gulped down tepid water.

Another forceful blow rocked the door. "Come out and face your punishment like a man!" Erza's distinctive strong tones rang clear.

Lucy's face rivalled Natsu's for the shade of white it now possessed. Both partners had shouted invective at whoever was pounding on the door. Erza's wrath on a good day was fierce - the fury her temper might release on such a day as this might be catastrophic. Cringing, Natsu and Lucy held each other.

The door opened and Erza stormed in. Scowl reddening with a blush, she processed Lucy comforting Natsu. "How dare you..." Erza's words trailed away. "Er, never mind." She closed the door and left.

"Erza's on board with us getting together." Natsu did his best to smirk even as he clutched his stomach.

"So am I," Lucy offered in a soft voice. "But we need to talk more."

"We talk all the time!"

"About what happened while you were gone."

"Oh." Natsu let his head hang down. "I had to go and train alone to get stronger."

"If we're going to be more-than-friends..." Lucy took a deep breath, "we have to communicate better." She sat back down on the narrow bed. "I think you need to hear about my year without you."

Natsu slumped down beside the blonde. He chewed on the inside corner of his mouth and heaved a heavy sigh. He let his eyes drop and watched how Lucy laced her fingers together and squeezed them tight. Knuckles white, she began to speak.

Her words were clawed from deep inside, pushed out of her mouth with tremendous effort. Natsu kept silent as his most important person unburdened herself. Lucy painted a dark picture. The guild had been disbanded, friends and her means of support gone in an instant. Her voice trembled as Natsu laid a hand over hers. He pulled her twitching fingers apart and held onto them.

Lucy relaxed against the slayer, her story gaining momentum. If before her words were boulders she had to heave to push free, now they were cobblestones. They were easier to manage, but so many proved exhausting. Natsu's warmth was all encompassing. Lucy protested as her heater shifted, but swallowed further complaints as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

The half hour it took for Lucy to speak was an education for Natsu. The more Lucy shared what had happened to her, the more guilt churned inside Natsu's gut. His teeth clenched as his lips twitched, threatening to interrupt his partner.

Her voice faded to a whisper. The last item she wanted to share was Aquarius' key. Lucy felt nauseous. Just the thought of this last confession made her shiver. It was spreading chill over her skin even against the furnace that was her partner. Movements stiff, Lucy reached for her key ring. It felt heavy - all the keys in perfect condition strung on a brass loop. The geometry of it was like a joke. Aquarius had been her first friend and she had been the first sacrifice. Circles were woven into the keys and the clips that anchored the keys. Circles were meant to symbolize eternity. Lucy laid it on her lap and stared.

Natsu let out a sigh, "you can tell me anything."

"I'm sick of talking." Lucy laughed a humourless bark. "Just for now, keep holding me."

She picked up her keys, only to have Natsu reach out and brush fingers over them. His brows furrowed as he traced and counted Lucy's keys. "You're missing one."

"Tighter, hold me tighter Natsu." Lucy had thought she was ready to say it out loud. Seeing the knowledge dawn in his eyes had snapped something. She would use any method at her disposal to delay talk about her celestial keys. Lucy struggled to grab her key ring and push Natsu onto his side.

Surprise worked where brute force couldn't with the slayer. Lucy sat atop his motionless form. Without taking her eyes off his, Lucy clipped her ring to her pouch. "You know, we're not guaranteed time."

"That's true." Natsu was far from being oblivious now. He had several puzzle pieces snapped together - and the picture was nearly complete. Whatever Lucy wanted, he'd give it to her. Right now it looked like she wanted a distraction. "You sure you want to sit there, wearing what you're wearing? Looking like you want to get kissed?"

Natsu blushed. Yeah, they'd exchanged heated kisses. He'd touched places on Lucy that before would have earned him a Lucy-kick or slap to the face. Natsu grinned. Lucy had handled his body too - and shown every evidence of enjoying herself.

Leaning forward, Lucy placed her hands on Natsu's shoulders. "Let's use the time we _do_ have in a way we can _both_ enjoy." He watched those pink lips speak, absorbed more into the way they moved that what Lucy was saying. Unaware his partner was waiting for a response, he laid there fighting against his urges.

Lucy wriggled from her seat overtop Natsu's hips. She pressed her knees against his torso and settled her ass back a bit further. Message received! Natsu grabbed hold of Lucy's generous hips. "I won't ever let you go." He gritted his teeth as his partner dropped completely on top of him, draped like a blanket.

Victory was hers. Lucy smiled, she could feel _every_ inch of interest his body was displaying. Between scorching kisses she purred, "damn right you won't."

* * *

Natsu responded with a deep groan. Lucy's swim suit, skimpy as it was, needed to be discarded. His hands roved, taking hold of the strings and pulling them undone. Her tongue in his mouth was permission to advance.

The blonde unbuckled her belt that held celestial keys. Without breaking their kiss, she lowered it to the floor. Lucy writhed in pleasure as Natsu explored the valleys and hills of her body.

Determined to have unobstructed access to Natsu's body, Lucy began tugging on his trunks. "Off! Take'em off!" She delved her fingers into the waistband and urged Natsu to lift his hips.

"You're on me!" He bucked up, "get offa me a sec!"

Together they struggled, entwined limbs divesting the last barrier of clothing. Natsu rolled Lucy and braced his forearms overtop. His hair wild in disarray sparked a memory. Lucy's eyes dimmed, recalling their reunion at the Grand Magic Games.

"Focus on us Lucy." Natsu had a half smile on his lips. He brushed strands of her golden hair away from her temple. "Time isn't guaranteed." He increased the wattage on his grin, "so let's make up for lost time, yeah?" Natsu traced Lucy's nose, cheeks and chin before giving her a languorous open mouthed kiss.

Inside of Natsu, torrents of his fire magic churned. He wanted to press his skin against Lucy forever just like this - and he also wanted more. Was this really what Lucy wanted? A sudden need to assure himself of her consent made him pull back, ending his exploration of her mouth.

The slayer's nude body was a comforting weight. Taut musculature and tan skin radiated heat. Lucy gasped as ever warmer hands shackled her wrists. Dark eyes even darker with desire stared at her. "You want me like I want you?"

Lucy licked her lips. "For the longest time." She jutted her chin in a challenging manner, "give me more." Lucy dared Natsu with brown eyes reflecting a galaxy of desire. The thrum of her blood settled into a buzzing centered between her legs. An urge built. Lucy whimpered and thrust her hips up - trying to get to the hard length sandwiched between them. "More!"

"More!" Natsu agreed, peppering kisses down Lucy's throat. He worried one spot, leaving a mark sure to purple later. He caressed the bountiful flesh of Lucy's breasts, suckling one and then the other.

The suction was a weird pulling sensation that made Lucy's stomach tighten. Not in a bad way, but odd...just odd. It felt like many points on her body were connected that she'd never realized before. Looking down at Natsu's pink hair was weird too. Another strong pull on her nipple and Lucy bucked her hips up again.

Lucy's wild panting spurred Natsu to drop further down her body. He ran his nose over her belly button, dipping his tongue in. He grinned as Lucy let out a giggle. Moving down he ran his hands over Lucy's hips and smoothed paths on her thighs. Her scent was rich and complex. If he had to define and name it, then 'alluring' would be his answer.

"You don't have to..." Lucy couldn't even finish her thought. Natsu was so close to the juncture of her thighs, his breath stirred the neat patch of hair.

"More." His voice was much lower than usual, with a bit of a growl. Natsu looked intently at Lucy's moisture glistening on pretty pink skin. He cupped her mound then drew one finger down, rubbing just at the edges of her slit. Again, Natsu repeated his action. His finger delved inside of Lucy without resistance.

Lubrication increased as his partner let out an 'mmm', spreading her legs further. Gaining confidence he pushed into Lucy's body with a second digit. The fleshy sponge of her walls was, well, weird. But weird in an intriguing way. It didn't feel bad to him. Judging from the pants, moans and nonsense words tumbling out of Lucy's mouth, she must like it.

Her wanton sounds were making his dick even harder. Right now he could ignore that need. Giving Lucy joy was pleasurable in and of itself.

Another roll of her hips as he fingered her brought more liquid gushing from her core. The smell was irresistible. A tentative swipe from the tip of his tongue brought the taste of ambrosia. Natsu began pushing his tongue all about in a random manner, removing his fingers from his way. Once he found the little stiff nub inside of Lucy that made her scream, he concentrated his actions on that and used her cries as guidance.

Lucy used curse words Natsu had never heard from the celestial mage - ever. He liked it. Proud he could make her lose control, he gave her powerful sucks and light flicks of his tongue. Her essence was delicious. Her limbs trembled, legs long since drawn up and clasped tight around his head. Her fingers buried in his hair were at times petting and then pulling as she moaned and panted at Natsu's ministrations.

An intense paroxysm of pleasure had Lucy clamping her legs about Natsu's head. When the spasm passed, Lucy felt boneless. She became limp, allowing the slayer to withdraw. He crawled over her body and collapsed. He rolled to his side, taking the sweaty, blushy and pleasured woman with him. "Damn."

Lucy giggled. Not one of her dreams had even come close to the pinnacle of satisfaction she'd just enjoyed. All fumbling in the dark with her own hands paled in comparison. It was soothing, letting Natsu stroke her hair and give her little butterfly kisses. Lucy let out a satisfied gust of breath. "Damn right."

* * *

Erza rejoined her comrades milling about the deck. "We'll just go with Charle's earlier suggestion."

Gray shook his head. "We're a team, we gotta stick together. The way the boat is still rocking while moored has got to have Natsu spewing yesterday's food too."

"..." Erza looked a little green.

The white exceed lifted her chin, "next time don't doubt my words."

Trying to play peace-maker, Wendy nodded. The sounds she had already heard and the ones she might hear later made her anxious to get off the boat. "Let's all go ashore and find lodgings."

"I'll drag his ass outta there, we shouldn't have to wait for that idiot!" Gray crossed his arms, "how long can it take him to puke his guts out anyway?"

"We need you to carry Mest. Right now Lucy and Natsu are, uh, busy." Erza flushed, speaking faster. "Time to go, right Charle?"

"Damn right."

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 _ **~ Just struck by a sudden thought, no wonder Charle looks kinda pissy so much of the time, she could be getting inadvertent future glimpses of all kinds of naughty things~**_


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